Investing In The World Of Cult Collectibles
By: Syran Warner
There’s a used extension cord for sale at cultcollectibles.com for $300. You could find a similar one at a hardware store for 5 bucks, but that’s not the point. This common cord is collectors item, despite its modest appearance, because it came from the Heaven’s Gate house where 39 people took their lives in a misguided attempt to board a spaceship. As a collectible, it’s a bit ghoulish, but in our true crime obsessed culture it’s not terribly surprising that there’s a market for this kind of stuff. Cult Collectibles offers a host of other similarly eerie products. There’s also a small cottage industry elsewhere on sites like Etsy where you can buy kitschy cult themed items. But are these sound investments? That’s the question at hand.
The discovery of this strange industry is the inspiration for today’s listicle. Here you’ll find a few of the most compelling pieces of cult esoterica for sale at Cult Collectibles and other retailers. Links will be provided if you see something you must have.
Keep in mind, the artifacts and paraphernalia included range from limited to one of a kind, so if you see something that catches your eye, you’ll want to pull the trigger before it’s gone. To help make that decision a little easier, a value analysis will be provided for each piece.
Nike Decades Running Shoes
Cult: Heaven’s Gate
At: Cult Collectibles
Product: These are a pair of Nike Decades, the iconic sneakers Marshal Applewhite and 38 of his followers were wearing when they were all found dead by suicide in 1997. No, they were not taken off a corpse. Size 15.
Analysis: $2,000 is a hell of a lot of money for a pair of old sneakers, but unlike most of the items found on the list there’s actually a market for them outside of their cult association. Sneaker-heads have driven up the price of many shoes that otherwise might seem unremarkable, and since Nike discontinued the shoes and got them off shelves after the worst imaginable product placement, their scarcity gives them value to both shoe and cult collectors. A bold, if somewhat risky product for an investor with huge feet and money to burn.
Rancho Rajneesh Produce Label
Cult: rajneeshpuram
At: ETSY
Product: Vegetable crate label from the Rajneeshpuram compound in Oregon, circa 1982.
Analysis: Rajneesh collectables gained value after Netflix’s Wild, Wild Country became a sensation a few years ago. Online, you can find plenty of modern prints and clothing inspired by the cult, which could ostensibly become collectors items in the future, but actual items from the compound are rare and coveted by collectors. As an entry point into the market this appears to be a fabulous find and a great value. The bonus here for modest collectors is that the producers of Wild, Wild Country neutered their subject so cleanly that the general perception of this cult is more “summer camp” than “abuse factory,” which means you can prominently display it in your home without anyone thinking you’re creepy.
Leo Ryan Nail File
Cult: The Peoples Temple
At: Cult Collectibles
Product: Promotional nail file for the campaign of politician Leo Ryan, the congressman killed at Jonestown.
Analysis: Campaign paraphernalia of yore is something a lot more people collect than you’d think, so like the Nike Decades you could put it on EBAY and get a return if you ever regret the purchase. Unsettling as it is, potentially a wise investment if either market spikes.
Signed Battlefield Earth Poster
Cult: Scientology
At: Sports Integrity
Product: John Travolta autographed poster for the adaptation of cult leader L. Ron Hubbard’s Battlefield Earth. Framed and certified authentic.
Analysis: Battlefield Earth is such a terrible piece of cinema you might not want to hang this up and have houseguests confuse your interest in cult collectibles with a sign of your taste in art. Unless you’re known for your ironic sense of humor and have other collectibles indicating how clever you are around the house this one should probably stay in storage. As far as Travolta autographs go, it’s not a great value either, so you really have to depend on the long-term cult collectibles market to mature if you’re going to get a return on your investment. Risky.
Dollhouse Bunk Beds
Cult: Heaven’s Gate
At: Cult Collectables
Product: Hand painted dollhouse replica of the bunk beds Heaven’s Gate members were discovered in.
Analysis: This is a contemporary non-functional craft item so it’s more of a decoration than something we anticipate will grown in value over time. That said, Heaven’s Gate collectibles seem to be more sought after than collectibles for other cults, so if they’re discontinued these tiny bunk beds might creep up in price on the secondary market. As far as dollhouse furniture goes, it’s not too steep of a purchase. $40 might seem like a lot for a product like this, but a comparable dollhouse bunk bed is only five dollars less expensive. Who knew?
SLA Face Mask
Cult: Symbionese Liberation Army
At: Tee Public
Product: Symbionese Liberation Army face mask.
Analysis: There are all kinds of SLA products available on the internet. Buttons, pins, T-shirts, even onesies are easy to find online. You have to imagine this is because the SLA are still considered hip and cool to some college students despite murdering innocent people, and you know, being a cult. That’s another story though. As far as investments in cult collectibles go, it feels like the face mask makes some sense in the long run. This is totally hypothetical, but what if people of the future collect items from the pandemic, thus inflating the value of oddball face coverings like this. It’s a long shot.
Jim Jones’ High School Yearbook
Cult: The Peoples Temple
At: Cult Collectibles
Product: Pierian high school yearbook, class of 1949, featuring photos of a young Jim Jones.
Analysis: This is one of the stranger finds on Cult Collectibles, as well as one of the most expensive items in their catalogue. It seems difficult to justify charging so much for a yearbook, but people collect stuff like associated with the notorious and it’s something of an antique. A search revealed that Elvis’ yearbook sold for $2,500 not too long ago, and Jim Jones is kind of the Elvis of psychopaths, so maybe this is a wise investment. For more budget conscious Jonestown enthusiasts, Cult Collectibles also sells old postcards from Guyana for $40.
MAGA Flag
Cult: Cult of Trump
At: EBAY
Product: Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” flags.
Analysis: Many people have yet to come around to the fact that America was run by cult leader for four years, but that may change in time. Some day, these shitty flags might be the kind of item that fetches ROI and the price is basement level for frugal investors. Unfortunately, there are so many of these fuckin’ things, it’s hard to imagine they’ll ever be that rare, so the ceiling is capped. Like the Battlefield Earth poster, if you’re going to invest DO NOT put this where anyone can see it. People won’t understand that it’s a cult collectible and they may get mad at you.
Waco T-shirt
Cult: The Branch Davidians
At: Cult Collectibles
Product: Vintage small-run T-shirt printed locally during the Waco siege. Size small.
Analysis: A search result for Koresh memorabilia listed actual rubble from the compound at Waco for sale. That was a little too ghoulish, so we’re going with this shirt. It’s something of a goof that ended up not being so cute when the situation turned into a national tragedy. When the T’s were pulled off the shelves for obvious reasons they became collectors items, which is why the price is so high. Astoundingly, there are shirts out there with higher price tags that aren’t even cult related. As far as investments in these kinds of collectibles are concerned, it’s risky as it doesn’t have the proof of authenticity you’ll find with other wares at the website.
Sermon Cassette Tape
Cult: Aum Shinrikyo
At: Cult Collectibles
Product: Cassette tape of Aum Shinrikyo sermon praising murderous leader Shoko Asahara.
Analysis: A unique product in that it was actually produced by a cult unlike most of the other products on this list. A decent buy for someone who wants to make a sizable jump into the cult collectibles market without taking out a loan. This would be an A+ if it were on vinyl.
Signed Court Subpoena
Cult: The Manson Family
At: History For Sale
Product: Subpoena for a hearing to capture music royalties for Manson victims signed by Charles Manson.
Analysis: Now this is an interesting product. Not only does it bear the signature of the most notorious cult leader of all time, that signature is on a significant legal document. For just $50 more than the David Koresh shirt you could have an item that any honest cult collector would drool over. If the market ever booms, owning this would be like having Disney stock in the 1980’s.
